MANNA, other food banks getting funds as need rises

Published: Tuesday, October 15, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Monday, October 14, 2013 at 11:47 p.m.

RALEIGH (AP) — North Carolina food banks, including MANNA in Asheville, will soon get a share of $2.75 million from the state, Gov. Pat McCrory and Attorney General Roy Cooper announced Monday.

The move comes as local and regional pantries have faced increased demand because of high unemployment and government assistance delays.

McCrory, a Republican, announced the state was releasing early $750,000 to seven regional food banks to help them stock their shelves. Cooper, a Democrat, put out his own news release later that his agency was sending $2 million collected from legal settlements to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, which will distribute grants statewide.

McCrory’s office said the $750,000 — part of $3 million the General Assembly approved for food banks this fiscal year — was being released early to help food banks handle higher demand caused in part by the partial federal government shutdown.

The $750,000 will be distributed evenly among the seven food banks, said MANNA Director of Communications and Marketing Becky Upham, and the $2 million will be doled out based on a formula that looks at how many people are estimated to be in need in each food bank’s service area.

MANNA should receive about $145,000-$150,000 from the Justice Department funds, Upham said. More than half of those funds should be given over the next two weeks, with the rest coming in four payments over the next few months.

MANNA will use the money to stock “shelf staples” such as peanut butter, beans, tuna and rice, Upham said. Several agencies in Henderson County receive a share of the food, and MANNA also works with about 16 county schools to assist more than 700 children though its MANNA PACKS for Kids. The program provides children with backpacks of food for the weekends.

The nonprofit has seen an increase in demand from its partner agencies, Upham said, thanks to the high unemployment and delay in processing applications for NC Fast food stamp assistance.

In all, MANNA provides food to 220 agencies in 16 western counties, and the money “will help MANNA keep the food flowing through our warehouse…,” MANNA Executive Director Cindy Threlkeld said in a statement Monday.

“Regardless of the federal shutdown, our doors will be open and our trucks will be on the road delivering food to our partner agencies. We cannot possibly replace what will be lost if the shutdown continues into November. The impact will be devastating. But as the demand grows, so does our resolve to do our best to help people in Western North Carolina who struggle to put food on the table.”

Last month, more than 4,000 emergency food boxes were prepared to respond to the rising demand, Upham said, adding that many people seeking help from food pantries and nonprofits have never had to ask for assistance before.

“We are definitely getting the message from our agencies that they really feel strapped,” Upham said. “The need is very high.”

The state Department of Health and Human Services suspended a federally funded program offering food vouchers for poor women and their young children for two days last week before the agency announced it had located additional funds for a few more weeks.

On Monday, the state’s Work First welfare program stopped taking applications or recertifying participants, DHHS said, which could lead to financial hardships if the shutdown extends into November. About a quarter of the 100 counties also have stopped or scaled back distributing child care subsidies, which includes federal dollars, the governor’s office said.

“Federal services are not political chess pieces. Real people are being impacted in very real ways,” McCrory said in a prepared statement after visiting a Charlotte food bank Monday morning. “The political brinkmanship must end.”

North Carolina’s unemployment rate of 8.7 percent in August remains one of the highest in the country.

The $2 million from the state Department of Justice comes from food and pharmaceutical consumer settlements reached by Cooper’s office. The agency has distributed smaller amounts to food banks in previous years.

“Food banks are a lifeline for many people in our state and they need our support,” Cooper said in a news release.

Cooper said in an interview over the weekend that his office had been working with McCrory and the state budget office on how to use settlement funds for food banks. Cooper has recently started talking publicly about running for governor in 2016, when McCrory will be up for re-election. McCrory’s new release mentioned briefly Cooper’s $2 million for the food banks.

Upham attributed the funds to increased awareness about the problem of hunger and pressure from impacted constituents.

“It’s really a time for people to stay informed and have their voices heard, no matter their political party,” she said. “Every month is a new challenge, and it’s like, what are we going to do next month? These funds are a real boon to us. We’re really happy.”

<p>RALEIGH (AP) — North Carolina food banks, including MANNA in Asheville, will soon get a share of $2.75 million from the state, Gov. Pat McCrory and Attorney General Roy Cooper announced Monday.</p><p>The move comes as local and regional pantries have faced increased demand because of high unemployment and government assistance delays.</p><p>McCrory, a Republican, announced the state was releasing early $750,000 to seven regional food banks to help them stock their shelves. Cooper, a Democrat, put out his own news release later that his agency was sending $2 million collected from legal settlements to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, which will distribute grants statewide.</p><p>McCrory's office said the $750,000 — part of $3 million the General Assembly approved for food banks this fiscal year — was being released early to help food banks handle higher demand caused in part by the partial federal government shutdown.</p><p>The $750,000 will be distributed evenly among the seven food banks, said MANNA Director of Communications and Marketing Becky Upham, and the $2 million will be doled out based on a formula that looks at how many people are estimated to be in need in each food bank's service area.</p><p>MANNA should receive about $145,000-$150,000 from the Justice Department funds, Upham said. More than half of those funds should be given over the next two weeks, with the rest coming in four payments over the next few months.</p><p>MANNA will use the money to stock “shelf staples” such as peanut butter, beans, tuna and rice, Upham said. Several agencies in Henderson County receive a share of the food, and MANNA also works with about 16 county schools to assist more than 700 children though its MANNA PACKS for Kids. The program provides children with backpacks of food for the weekends.</p><p>The nonprofit has seen an increase in demand from its partner agencies, Upham said, thanks to the high unemployment and delay in processing applications for NC Fast food stamp assistance. </p><p>In all, MANNA provides food to 220 agencies in 16 western counties, and the money “will help MANNA keep the food flowing through our warehouse…,” MANNA Executive Director Cindy Threlkeld said in a statement Monday.</p><p>“Regardless of the federal shutdown, our doors will be open and our trucks will be on the road delivering food to our partner agencies. We cannot possibly replace what will be lost if the shutdown continues into November. The impact will be devastating. But as the demand grows, so does our resolve to do our best to help people in Western North Carolina who struggle to put food on the table.”</p><p>Last month, more than 4,000 emergency food boxes were prepared to respond to the rising demand, Upham said, adding that many people seeking help from food pantries and nonprofits have never had to ask for assistance before.</p><p>“We are definitely getting the message from our agencies that they really feel strapped,” Upham said. “The need is very high.” </p><p>The state Department of Health and Human Services suspended a federally funded program offering food vouchers for poor women and their young children for two days last week before the agency announced it had located additional funds for a few more weeks.</p><p>On Monday, the state's Work First welfare program stopped taking applications or recertifying participants, DHHS said, which could lead to financial hardships if the shutdown extends into November. About a quarter of the 100 counties also have stopped or scaled back distributing child care subsidies, which includes federal dollars, the governor's office said.</p><p>“Federal services are not political chess pieces. Real people are being impacted in very real ways,” McCrory said in a prepared statement after visiting a Charlotte food bank Monday morning. “The political brinkmanship must end.”</p><p>North Carolina's unemployment rate of 8.7 percent in August remains one of the highest in the country.</p><p>The $2 million from the state Department of Justice comes from food and pharmaceutical consumer settlements reached by Cooper's office. The agency has distributed smaller amounts to food banks in previous years.</p><p>“Food banks are a lifeline for many people in our state and they need our support,” Cooper said in a news release.</p><p>Cooper said in an interview over the weekend that his office had been working with McCrory and the state budget office on how to use settlement funds for food banks. Cooper has recently started talking publicly about running for governor in 2016, when McCrory will be up for re-election. McCrory's new release mentioned briefly Cooper's $2 million for the food banks.</p><p>Upham attributed the funds to increased awareness about the problem of hunger and pressure from impacted constituents.</p><p>“It's really a time for people to stay informed and have their voices heard, no matter their political party,” she said. “Every month is a new challenge, and it's like, what are we going to do next month? These funds are a real boon to us. We're really happy.”</p>